The present invention is directed to a system for supercooling a semiconductor device such as a CMOS VLSI chip for the purpose of increasing the speed of the device and for maintaining the interface between the VLSI chip and other systems frostless.
It is well known that for certain electrical conductors the resistance of the conductor decreases when the conductor is supercooled, for example, towards a temperature of -190: C. A decrease in resistance tends to increase the speed at which a signal can travel along the conductor. When super cooling temperatures are applied to large scale semiconductor chips of the CMOS type increases in the speed of the signal travel are obtained. One popular medium used for supercooling semiconductor chips is liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen is placed in a vessel with the semiconductor chip and electrical leads connected to the circuits on the chip pass through the liquid nitrogen and out of the vessel to facilitate connection to external electrical systems.
One problem associated with this arrangement is that frost develops on the leads where they exit the vessel and meet with room temperature. This frosting causes interference with the connectors that connect the leads to external electrical systems and when melted causes water pools in proximity to the vessel. Both of these conditions are undesirable. The system of the present invention prevents the formation of frost on the conductors that exit the vessel housing a supercooled very large scale integrated CMOS device.